Mark Pirie

poet - writer - editor - publisher

Dreaming of Good Lines for You

Good lines about you.
Usually they come in dreams.
I'll be asleep, dreaming,
and the poems pop out,
line after line,
mostly about you.
And I'm somewhere reading.
Am I on radio? I think so.
I hear a voice, maybe John Campbell's,
but whoever it is they're excited:
'marvellous', 'excellent', 'love that
opening line,' and, of course,
'it's a wonderful poem and will
you read another for us . . . look,
I've enjoyed talking to you.
They're wonderful poems . . .'
And then suddenly I'm awake again,
I'm searching for the applause,
but all I can hear is the radio.
It's John Campbell
speaking to Fleur Adcock,
and outside the day and the best
lines I've written are still
not as beautiful as you.